Easel.



No. 821,132. j PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

G. T. SPRINGMAN. BASEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1905.

witnesses :9 mwmx wa my.

CHARLES SPRINGMAN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

EASE-L.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

Application filed November 6, 1905. Serial No. 285,975.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. SPRING- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Easel, of which the following is a specification.

, My invention relates to easels that are attached to the backs of calendars, pictures, display-cards, and the like for the purpose of affording means to hold them in upright position; and the object of my improvements is to provide means of this kind that may be secured to the back of articles to be supported and so folded as to lie flat and that may be swung outward from the article to which it is attached and provide a broad and strong support, a portion of the material being adapted to look all parts in the desired position. I attain this-object by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a card with an easel attached thereto, the easel being swung out and locked in supporting position. Fig. 2 is an edge view of a card with an easel attached, the easel being folded down to position for shipment. Fig. 3 is a view of the material of the ease] cut to the desired shape and preparatory to folding and attaching to the card.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

It is often desirable to provide cards of various kinds with means whereby they may be held upright, and the requisites of such means are that they can be easily attached to the cards, that they are collapsible after being attached, that they shall be provided with means to hold them in operative position, and that the support afforded the card shall be ample.

In the drawings the card 1 has secured to it an easel formed of a strip of paper, cardboard, or other flexible material and shaped generally as shown in Fig. 3, the height, length of the side portions, and width of the front and back depending largely on the size and weight of the article to be supported. The easel is made up of the back 2, which is to be cemented to the article to be supported, the two side portions 3 and 4., and the parts 5 and 6, which together form the front of the easel. The dotted lines in Fig. 3 indicate where the material of the easel is to be bent. The width of the portion 2 is much less than'the width of the front, which is the dis tance from the line a, Fig. 3, to the slot 7 plus the distance from the line b to the slot 8. This forms a broad front and prevents the easel from tipping. In putting the parts together the portion 2 is cemented to the card. The portions 5 and 6 are then hooked together by means of the slots 7 and 8, the parts 9 and 10 preventing slipping. Usually the parts are then folded against the card, as shown in Fig. 2, for shipment. When swung out to the position shown in Fig. 1, the small tongue 11 is turned down, contacting against the inner face of the side 4, and thus keeping that corner at a constant angle, at the same time holding all the others rigid.

When the ends 5 and 6 are connected by means of the slots 7 and'8, a hinge is formed at the juncture of the ends. When the easel is open, as shown in Fig. 1, this hinge permits the front to become a practically-continuous side, while the hinge also permits the parts 5 and 6 to be folded against the parts 3 and 4, as shown in Fig. 2.

A desirable manner of securing the easel to the card is to cover the portion 2 with a cement that fuses with low heat when the easels are being made. Applying a hot iron to the portion 2 when in place will unite the parts. The distance from the line a to line I) should not be more than the width of the card 1.

Having now explained my improvement, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An easel formed of a continuous sheet of flexible material and comprising a back adapted to be secured to the article to be supported, arms extending from each side of the back, and portions extendingfrom the ends of the arms provided with slots to permit interlocking of the ends, one of said portions being formed with a tongue adapted to be bent down to contact with the inner side of one of the arms to hold the easel in position.

2. A collapsible easel constructed from a strip of material so as to form a figure having four sides, one of which is of less width than the others, the material being adapted to be folded at the corners, and one of the longer sides being provided with a hinge.

3. A four-sided collapsible easel constructed with one side adapted to be secured to the article to be supported, and having one of the name to this specification in the presence of sides formed with a tongue at one end thereof; two subscribing Witnesses. adapted to fold down at an angle to and Wit an edge in contact with an adjacent side at CHARLES SPRINGMAN' the adjacent end thereof to hold the easel in Witnesses:

open position. EDWARD N. PAGELsEN,

In testimony whereof I have signed my PETER J. ABT. 

